Emperor Athdus III
Emperor Athdus III Emperor Athdus III, also known as Athdus the Great, was the Emperor of Nesaria who vastly expanded the borders of the Nesarian Empire and defeated the Xaenis after re-uniting Nesaria in the Nesarian War of Succession as King of Ascaria. He also ended the political and social domination of Ascarian citizens, and opened up the citizenship to all Nesarian inhabitants of the Empire (citizenship would be extended to all inhabitants in 801 by Empress Avemirea III). Athdus is considered the greatest national hero of Nesaria, and while he is not celebrated for his role of expanding the Empire in the other Imperial countries, he is universally praised for his part in defeating the Xaenis, for his skill in winning and managing an empire, and for his largely benevolent treatment of the nations he conquered. At various points throughout and immediately after his life, Athdus was named not only Emperor of Nesaria but Kumukh of Estemoria, the successor to the Kumukh Handughy, the second Yokera and a saint in Elvetan tradition. In Eastern Christianity, Athdus is venerated as a saint, being the only non-Christian saint. While not a Christian in life, Eastern Christians believe that he embraced the gospel after his physical death, as several pious Imperial people had visions of him in Heaven. An icon of "Saint Athdus the Great" appears in almost every church in the Empire. Outside the Empire, the canonisation of Athdus is largely not recognised. Athdus personally commanded the invasions of Estemoria, Osdarth and Indissia, and he also brought Avamoria, Elavita and Draconia into the Empire after the War Against the Xaenis. Immediately after the conquest of Estemoria, he fell in love with Great Queen Avemiri Simakha, and the two later married. Although mostly unknown during his life, Athdus' mental illness became widespread knowledge amongst historians about a century after his death, when his private journals were released to the libraries. Athdus had long been plagued with an irregular sleep pattern and low self-esteem, and he routinely blamed himself for not stopping bad things from happening, even when he was in no position to be able to do so. The sacking of Osdarth had a profound effect upon him, and when Ascaria was razed by the Xaenis his depression became very serious, and his suicidal thoughts turned into suicidal acts. His journals do not make direct reference to self-harm but do imply it, and in his writings he ferociously berated himself for not having the courage to "go through with it". The only one who knew of his depression was his wife Avemiri, who was always supportive of him but did not know how to help. Athdus decided that it was best to die in battle, and the only two reasons that he gave for still staying alive were that he did not want to leave Avemiri alone and that he wanted to take as many of the "Xaenis bastards" with him as he could. Eventually the Xaenis Queen was killed, and Athdus described himself as having a "great darkness" lifted from his shoulders. He wrote that protecting the world from the murderous swarm did not absolve him of his sins, but it went some way in making up for what he had done, and he began to forgive himself - but he would never forget. It is unknown whether his depression ever truly left him, but he did die a peaceful and natural death. Emperor Athdus III is widely considered to be one of the greatest generals of all time, with his strategies still being studied in military academies. He suffered few defeats, mainly against the Xaenis, with most scholars claiming that nobody could have won the battles he was defeated in. As well as being a brilliant commander, he is also recognised as a wise, just and largely benevolent ruler, who granted amnesty to the enemies that fought him honourably, and allowed his conquered subjects to rule themselves. Titles Athdus accumulated a number of offices and titles throughout his reign, and some that were conferred upon him after his death. These were: * Emperor of Nesaria (De jure 76, de facto 77) * Great King of Estemoria / Kumukh of Estemokhar (81) * Lord Protector of Osdarth (82-102) * Second Yokera (86) * Defender of the Faith (104) * Elvetan Saint (141, after death) * Christian Saint (1471, after death) Interactions with Demons There have been several historians who have asserted that Athdus interacted with several Demons throughout his life - and what is meant by Demon is an inhabitant of the Dreadlands, not malevolent spirits or fallen angels. Ever since this surfaced, it has been controversial; Athdus never mentioned such interactions in his diaries, and the historians who claim this almost universally cite just one source, the writings of Colados Yavesa. The only interaction with a Demon that is commonly accepted to be historical fact is Athdus expelling the Jester known as the Butcher from the town of Ritaki during his invasion of Osdarth. However, Colados asserts as fact that Athdus also met a Succubus going by the name of Klari and a group of Lesser Demons (of which only three are named; Roda, Eshen and Vesha). Some later writers also asserted that Athdus personally slew a Dreadborn, but Colados does not mention this, and this is almost certainly a myth. Colados also states that Athdus briefly met the Good Doctor of Osdarth. Later writers expanded this and claimed that the two became friends and the Good Doctor accompanies Athdus on his campaigns, but this conflicts with the writings of other historians who state that the Good Doctor stayed behind in Osdarth to help the survivors of the Xaenis invasion. It is possible, as some historians have stated, that the Good Doctor initially stayed behind in Osdarth but later joined the coalition army to serve under Athdus in the Battle of Millions. Physical Appearance '''Complexion: '''Athdus had the pale skin typical of North Nesarians. He possessed no freckles, unlike his father and grandfather. '''Hair: '''Athdus had brown, wavy long hair reaching down to the jaw, tied in the back in the traditional warrior's ponytail, and he kept a short beard. Both of these grew longer and less well-kept in the later stages of the War Against the Xaenis as he lost the motivation to trim his hair. '''Eyes: '''Athdus had light blue eyes, typical of the Capilus dynasty. '''Facial Structure: '''Athdus had a fairly average facial structure, resembling the typical North Nesarian phenotype - possessing a fairly long nose with a gentle bridge and tip, and a somewhat rounded but still fairly defined jawline. '''Build: '''Athdus was a warrior for the majority of his life and so he was physically fit and fairly muscular, although certainly not muscle-bound. '''Height: '''Athdus was of average height for a Nesarian noble of this time, putting him at around 5 feet 7 inches.